I noticed recently that the list of distributors stocking the Caputo 00 flours was recently taken down at the FornoBravo website. I emailed the importer and asked for the latest list, which I have set forth below. Not all distributors will sell directly to individuals on a cash and carry basis, so it is important to call to ask. If a particular distributor will not sell direct, I would ask for names of a few of their customers who might might be able to help. Some of the names on the list do sell directly to consumers, such as PennMac and Chef's Warehouse. I believe Shamrock may also, based on past reports of our members. Any feedback on any of these distributors, one way or the other, would be helpful.

Thanks so much Petezza...I found out my local distributor also has the Stanilaus tomatoes.I guess I could easily find this by searching the forums, but is the Caputo flour hi-gluten? If so, where does it stand in contrast to the KASL?

The Caputo 00 Pizzeria flour is a lot different than high-gluten flour. It also has a lower protein content, 11.5-12.5%, as compared with 14.2% for the KASL high-gluten flour. The two flours can't be used interchangeably in recipes.

Keep in mind that there are three Caputo 00 flours. The one that most members use is the Caputo 00 Pizzeria flour, although there are a few who use the Extra Blue, which is a couple percent lower in protein content than the Pizzeria flour. The Caputo Red (Rosso) is for really long fermentation times. I haven't used it so can't comment on it.

The Caputo 00 Pizzeria flour is a lot different than high-gluten flour. It also has a lower protein content, 11.5-12.5%, as compared with 14.2% for the KASL high-gluten flour. The two flours can't be used interchangeably in recipes.

Keep in mind that there are three Caputo 00 flours. The one that most members use is the Caputo 00 Pizzeria flour, although there are a few who use the Extra Blue, which is a couple percent lower in protein content than the Pizzeria flour. The Caputo Red (Rosso) is for really long fermentation times. I haven't used it so can't comment on it.

I assume you would be dealing with Merlino. Is that correct?

Peter

Yes, Merlino. I am fairly satisfied with my Pendelton hi-gluten flour as of right now. I have some 40+ pounds to finish before I can think about trying a new brand anyways...hopefully by then I will be able to work something out with KASL locally. I'm looking forward to the Stanilaus tomatoes, however. They have so many different kinds in-store...I'll have to look around the forum and see the preferred style, although I remember reading that the peeled crushed tomatoes have a smoother texture than the unpeeled...since I am going for more of a "commercial" sauce anyways, this is probably best. i'm starting to take this post off-topic at this point.

Today I called International Gourmet, a distributor of the Caputo Pizzeria flour, only to be told that they do not deal directly with individuals, even if they show up at one of their facilities with cash in hand. However, I was told that they will help identify accounts in their service areas through whom an individual might work to gain access to International Gourmet's product offerings. IG has expanded since I last spoke with them some time ago when I was looking for a source of Caputo 00 flour and they now operate in DC, Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas and a few other states.

I was able to confirm that IG does in fact carry the Caputo 00 Pizzeria flour. I did not think to inquire, but it is likely that they carry other pizza ingredients also.

We did take down the stocking distributor list from www.fornobravo.com, as it is not clear which of the distributors do, or do not, sell directly to consumers. If your local distributor or Italian store sells Caputo to home owners, that's a good thing. At this point, Forno Bravo sells the "blue" Tipo 00 flour in 2.2lb bags (ideale per pizze e dolce), and the "pizzeria" flour in 55lb bags. I have asked both Fred and Antimo how they would describe the differences, and they both say the blue is is about 1% lower in gluten (around 11%), and that it is difficult to tell the difference. For now, from the molino (Caputo), the choice is between the 2.2lb in blue and 55lb in pizzeria. That may change over time.

For a majority home pizza chefs, the Tipo 00 is fantastic -- head and shoulders above what was available in the states only six months ago. It is far beyond American flour for pizza baking. I live in the California wine country, and there is a running joke about the guy who says he can tell which side of the hill the grapes grew on. It's a rare skill for those who think they possess it, but in reality the Caputo blue is just great. I use both, plowing through 55lb bags of Pizzeria at home, and cooking with homeowners using the 2.2lb bags. We are all lucky to be baking pizza at the time when Caputo has become easily available in the states. On an interesting side note, Forno Bravo was contacted recently by a Caputo competitor from Naples, asking us to sell their flour in the states -- but there's nothing like the real thing.

Did you see in the Wall Street Journal that Caputo sales in the US doubled in 2005? I think we are at the start of a big growth curve.

If you can find Caputo flour locally, and save the shipping, that's great. Shipping can be expesnive. If you can't, or just don't want to hassle with looking for it, you can find Caputo Blue and Pizzeria at our store.

James: Can you tell me for certain by the picture below which flour I received from Caputo? Comparing it to the Caputo website photo http://www.molinocaputo.it/eng/flours.htm, it looks like the Confezioni, but I understand this one is not imported to the US??

Just got off the phone with Shamrock, the person at the number above said that they do not sell to the public. I was transfered to customer service who seem quite perplexed by the notion that I would wish to purchase flour from them. She transfered me to another number in purchasing, but no one picked up.

I live in the San Francisco Bay area and attempted to get Caputo 00 through Italfoods. I live rather close to there and was disappointed when I drove there and found out they will not sell to me directly. Bummer, considering I was spoiled ordering products of this nature when I owned and operated an Italian/Pizza restaurant for 13 years! I've been out of the business for 10 years now and it has been hard getting products such as Stanislaus tomatoes, flour, Espresso, etc. I have found many sites on the internet but have not dealt with many of them, so anyone's experience getting flour, San Marzano tomatoes for home use would be most helpful.

For those interested in the results of my visit to Italfoods, they told me that their products are available at Leonardi's, Andronico's, Molly Stone's and Whole Foods. I did find "Superfine "00" Wheat flour at Andronico's but they come in such small packages, 500g. It would be nice to get a 5lb bag somewhere. I did find Caputo flour on the FornoBravo site as most of you have, but they come in a 2.2lb X 5 bundle. So, I have a couple of questions:

- Has anyone found a place that will sell a 5-10lb bag of Caputo Flour 00?- Should the label on the flour actually state "Pizza", on the label or just 00?- I've uploaded a picture of the flour I got at Andronico's. Is this Caputo or comparable to Caputo 00 Pizza flour?

To the best of my knowledge, the Italbrand 00 flour is not a Caputo flour. And, without seeing the specs for the Italbrand 00 flour, there is no way of knowing how closely it simulates the Caputo Pizzeria flour. Unfortunately, the specs on imported Italian 00 flours are hard to come by in the U.S. There are many millers of 00 flours and many gradations of 00 flour, so the mere presence of the numbers 00 on a bag of flour does not mean all that much. The presence of the word "pizza" on the bag is some help--and a plus--but it doesn't tell you whether the flour is a "strong" (high-protein/gluten) flour or a "weak" one. Some 00 flours are better suited for making bread than pizza.

You mentioned Forno Bravo. You may want to double check this, but I understand that Forno Bravo sells only the Caputo 00 Extra Blue flour, not the Caputo 00 Pizzeria flour. Both can be used to make pizza dough but their rated fermentation periods are different (the Extra Blue is the weaker flour of the two). Among the members of the forum, the Caputo 00 Pizzeria flour is the more popular of the two 00 flours.

For a source of small bags of the Caputo 00 Pizzeria flour, you may want to consider PennMac, at http://www.pennmac.com. You should look under the Pizza Makers tab. To the best of my knowledge, PennMac is the only foodservice company that sells the Caputo 00 Pizzeria flour in small bags (5 lbs.) The flour is repackaged. There are a few places, such as chefswarehouse (at chefswarehouse.com), that sell the flour in larger bags.

Thanks for the information Peter. I will check with Forno Bravo to find out about their flour to see if it is the pizza type. In the meantime, I will order it from Pennmac. I assume that you get yours from Pennmac.

I just attempted ordering on 55lb. bag of Caputo from PennMac, but when the shipping total came to $43 and change, it stopped me in my tracks. $78 for a bag of flour? NOT.Isn't there some place on the west coast that will sell to individuals like us? This is so tired!I'm in San Diego, by the way.

I just wanted to report that I had a very pleasant experience with Ital Gourmet Foods in Los Angeles.They were happy to sell me a single bag of Caputo OO Pizzeria flour at a competitive price.I went up there and picked it up; I did not inquire about shiping. Enrico is the sales rep. I spoke to him once, then all my dealings thereafter were with Karen. I thought they provided excelllent customer service, Karen especially. They have a complete line to products for the pizza fanatic, by the way. They get Mozzarella di Bufalo in twice a month, also a couple of different tomato products that sound interesting, alot of good stuff, IMHO. But I digress.Cash is the preferred method of payment for will call items. Just represent yourself as some type of business and you'll have no problem. I told them I have a catering service, which I do, and I only want to order for will call, so Karen waived the usual credit app., and all that.I'm just tickled that I finally have a source for Caputo; I believe they only warehouse the 00 Pizzeria flour. I didn't see any other Caputo products in the warehouse, but don't quote me on this, it was only my observation. Hope this helps someone else out, too.Have fun.

I recently spoke with Fred Mortati of Orlando Foods, the importer of the Caputo flours, to get an update on the list of distributors listed in the first post in this thread. Since that post, there have been several distributor additions. However, for competitive reasons, Fred asked that I only identify the new locations (by city), and ask that members who are interested in greater distributor detail send an email to ANNA@ORLANDOFOODS.COM.

The new locations are Detroit-MI, Atlanta-GA, Orlando-FL, Dallas-TX, Denver-CO, and Elmwood Park-NJ.

Please keep in mind that, as in the past, there is no assurance that any particular distributor will sell to individuals who are not in the trade, even on a cash and carry basis.

Regarding Caputo, I recently bought a 1000g bag of "00" flour in NYC made by Molino, but not Molino Caputo but Molino San Felice, from Naples as well. The packaging looks similar to Caputo, with the words "ottima per pizze e dolci" on it. The bag gives a protein content of 10.5g along with other data. Has anyone know/used this flour?

Yes, that is excellent flour comparable to caputo. There are a number of pizzerias in Naples using this flour and it seems like it is gaining in popularity. Here in the states it is used by Luzzo's and Tony Gemignani who recently won a contest with it in Naples. I buy mine from Luzzo's, but I would love to know where you got it so that I don't have to bother Michael any more.

Like Caputo, San Felice has multiple products that are suitable for different styles of pizza, but one that is specifically for milled for Neapolitan dough. Does the bag have a drawing of a pizza like this?

I bought this bag at Dean & DeLuca in Soho, but have gotten it at BuonItalia in the Chelsea Market in the past. The strange thing is, the bag does not match Bill's picture, or any on their website, so I'm wondering if it is in fact optimum for pizza, though it says so on the bag. It gives a 10.5g protein content on the bag as well. I will try to include a picture. Got 6 balls in the fridge, 1st bake since last winter!